


Stars and Lightning

by theadventurousdork



Category: Young Badlands (Web Series)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 03:09:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15596907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theadventurousdork/pseuds/theadventurousdork





	Stars and Lightning

The tune of a ukulele floated across the college’s small quad that was scattered with students sitting on the grass. The sun was still making its ascent as a breeze swept across the colored leaves on the surrounding trees. Xander took a drag from his cigarette as he rubbed his tired eyes.  
“I can’t believe you convinced me to take a morning algebra course.” he sighed as he flicked off the embers from his cigarette. Bunny looked up from tuning their ukulele and raised an eyebrow.  
“I can’t believe you actually listened for once.” they said. Xander rolled his eyes as he took another drag, “Plus, we’re two weeks into the semester. You should be used to it by now.”  
“I will complain every morning until I stop caring and stop showing up to class.”  
Bunny laughed as they shook their head. They played another tune as they watched the sun slowly rise over the college.  
After playing a few more songs, Bunny looked over to Xander who was sitting fast asleep next to them.  
“You idiot.” they said as they stood up and picked up their backpack, “I hope you get a sunburn.”  
They packed up their ukulele and made their way to class. They walked into the building and took their time walking down the quiet halls as students lined the walls waiting for their classrooms to be opened.  
Bunny walked into a class filled with tired eyed students chatting and checking their phones. Bunny sighed as they walked down the aisle of desks trying not to trip over backpacks only to look up and find someone already sitting in their seat. Although this was college and Bunny knew that there was no such thing as “owning a self-assigned seat,” they were still confused on why their seat was taken after two consecutive weeks of class. Bunny stood for a moment before the girl looked up from fidgeting with her hands. Her soft brown eyes met with Bunny’s. Without saying a word, Bunny put their backpack on the desk next to the girl and grudgingly sat down with their arms crossed. The girl looked to Bunny and opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the professor walking into class and loudly dropping a stack of papers on the front desk.  
“Good morning to you all,” the professor said as he shuffled through his papers, “You know the drill by now. Roll call, lecture, lecture, lecture, and then back to your regularly scheduled lives.”  
The class gave a collective sigh as the professor began calling roll. Bunny pulled out a pen and a beat up notebook from their bag and began their daily doodling session.  
“Soph- I mean Bunny Bayani?” the professor called as he looked up from the podium. Without looking up, Bunny raised their hand and went back to doodling. The girl looked over to Bunny as the professor continued on. She couldn’t help but wonder why someone so intimidating would have a name like Bunny.  
“Summer Lockwood?” the professor asked with a confused look. Bunny looked up to find the girl in their seat raising her hand, “Have you been enrolled in this class since the beginning of the semester?”  
“No,” Summer replied, “I just moved here and I enrolled last night.”  
The professor nodded, “Welcome then, Summer. I’m happy for you to be a part of this misery train.”  
The class laughed as Summer nodded her head. She looked over to Bunny who had a small smile on their face as they continued to doodle.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Bunny yawned and they slowly strummed their ukulele as they sat on a bench outside the humanities building of the college. The morning sun was peeking through the trees as birds sang their morning tune. Bunny looked up to find Xander holding two styrofoam cups.  
“Coffee delivery,” he sleepily said, “Three creams, two sugars, one cup, zero bullshit.”  
“You’re a lifesaver,” Bunny said as they grabbed the cup and took a sip, “How you holding up, champ?”  
Xander took a sip from his cup and sat down, “I’m fucking tired. I went to the tavern yesterday night with Luke and he got shitfaced so I had to watch babysit his ass all night.”  
“It amazes me how he’s five years older than you and you’re always stuck watching over him whenever you guys go out.” said Bunny as they put down their ukelele to focus on sipping their coffee.  
“He made my fake ID for me and he pays for all my drinks so it’s a fair trade I suppose.” Xander shrugged as he yawned, “I met a girl though.”  
Bunny’s eyes widened as they turned their head in excitement, “Really? Tell me all about her! Spill it, Quinn.”  
“Calm down, Bayani. You’ll spill your drink.” smiled Xander, “There was just this girl hanging out at the tavern yesterday and I thought she was cute.”  
“Did you talk to her?” Bunny said excitedly as they swung their legs onto the bench to face Xander, “Please tell me you were nice and not an asshat.”  
“I wasn’t an asshat! I turned on the Quinn charm.” justified Xander, “I dumped my drunk brother into the car and realized I forgot my pack of cigs by the bar…”  
“Are you going to break into a Dr. Seuss rhyme?” said Bunny as they sipped their coffee, “And the Quinn charm? That sounds like an oxymoron.”  
“Do you want to hear the story or not?” asked Xander. Bunny smiled and nodded their head, “Okay so… I went in, got my cigs, and went outside to light one. I asked her if she wanted one but she said she was trying to quit.”  
Bunny pretended to fall asleep and Xander lightly punched their shoulder, “ANYWAY. We introduced ourselves. Her name was Beth and we went inside and had a beer. I flirted a little. She flirted a little. I got her number. Bing bang boom. Quinn charm.”  
“Haven’t seen you this giddy about a girl in awhile.” said Bunny, “Don’t fuck this one up. If you play with another girl’s feelings, I will punch you.”  
Xander rolled his eyes but deep down, he always appreciated having Bunny to keep him in line. They were like the little sibling he never had. The two sat on the bench and basked in the morning sun as Bunny continued to interrogate Xander until they had to leave for class. 

Bunny finished the last of their cup of coffee before entering the chatty classroom. They walked to the back of the class to find their normal seat unoccupied and found Summer sitting in the desk next to it. Summer momentarily looked up from her sketchbook to look at Bunny before continuing on with her drawing. Bunny gave a half hearted smile and sat in their seat. The professor walked in with his usual bundle of papers and began taking roll. Bunny sighed as they pulled out their beat up notebook of doodles, waited for their name to be called for attendance, and tuned out shortly after that. The professor began his lecture on the theories of argumentation as Summer closed her sketchbook and pulled out a brand new notebook and began jotting down notes. Bunny laid their head on the table as they continued to pretend to take notes. They were able to drift off into a peaceful sleep until they were awoken by the professor calling their name. Bunny raised their head from the desk.  
“So?” asked the professor as he stood at the front of the class holding a dry erase marker to the board.  
“What was the question?” asked Bunny apathetically.  
“Can you give me an argument to discuss?” the professor sighed.  
“Uh,” Bunny thought for a moment, “Space dinosaurs would win a fight against an army of giant ninjas.”  
The professor raised his eyebrow and gave a defeated sigh as he created his own less exciting argument on the board. Bunny shrugged their shoulders and sat up in their chair. They groaned as they looked up at the clock to find that there was still 45 minutes left of class. The coffee had filtered through Bunny’s system and they took this as the perfect opportunity to leave the class and escape for a little while. So they put down their pen and walked down the row passing by stoic students struggling to stay awake. After going to the restroom, Bunny wandered around the halls to waste more time. They took the time to pass by Xander’s class. To no surprise, they looked through the door to find an algebra class filled with confused looking students and a sleeping Xander at the very corner of the classroom.  
“Idiot.” Bunny whispered to themselves as they peeked through the door.  
Bunny continued to make laps around the hallways until they shaved 30 minutes off their class time. After losing track of how many laps around the second floor they made, Bunny slowly opened the door back to the classroom. The professor was still writing nonsense on the board and talking to the class of the students that lost their battle against sleep. Bunny made their way to the back of the room to their desk where there was a single sheet of white paper laying on top of their beat up notebook. Bunny turned the paper around to find a sketch of three dinosaurs with antenna sticking out of their heads and fighting three giant ninjas on the rings of Saturn. On the bottom of the page read “Giant ninjas would totally kick space dinosaur ass.” Bunny smiled as they looked up to find Summer closing her sketchbook. Summer looked to Bunny and smiled before going back to her meticulous note taking. 

Bunny walked out of the classroom and found Xander waiting for them in the hallway.  
“What are you doing here?” asked Bunny as Xander looked up from his phone, “I thought your class didn’t end for another 30 minutes.”  
“I got kicked out for snoring.” Xander replied, “Oh well. I have a whole semester to try again.”  
Bunny laughed as they shook their head, “Typical. Anyway, you want to go to Ernie’s? I could really go for a milkshake… and some fries… maybe a burger too.”  
Xander was preoccupied looking at his phone. He looked up with a big smile on his face, “I can’t today, Bun. Beth texted me and she wants to hang out. Rain check?”  
Bunny groaned and squinted their eyes, “Fine, but only because you look like you’re gonna shit yourself from being so excited. Go get her, champ.”  
Xander felt himself blushing, “I’m not excited! I’m super chill right now. Anyway, I’ll catch you later!”  
“Alright.” replied Bunny as Xander began walking down the hall, “Fix your hair! It’s a fucking mess!”  
Xander turned back and looked at Bunny with worried eyes while he combed his hair with his hands as he turned the corner of the hall. Bunny laughed as their stomach rumbled. They sighed as they went down the stairs and out into the afternoon sun. After basking in the sun for a moment, Bunny started down the street to Ernie’s. 

The smell of burgers wafted around the diner and Bunny could feel their stomach practically eating itself. They stood in front of the counter and deeply inhaled hoping that that would somehow satisfy their hunger for a moment. An elderly waitress wearing bright blue eyeshadow turned around from behind the counter as Bunny picked up a menu.  
“Well look who it is!” yelled the waitress excitedly, “If it isn’t little Bunny Bayani.”  
“Hey Patty.” smiled Bunny, “Don’t you go breaking any hips on me now!”  
“One time that was!” laughed Patty, “No Xander today?”  
“You’ll never believe it but he has a date with a girl he met at the tavern.”  
“Did he look like he was gonna shit himself?” Patty asked as Bunny laughed and nodded their head, “That boy always gets over excited but never could admit it. Mr. Macho Man. Been like that since you two were kids. Anyway what’re you in the mood for today, sweetheart? The usual?”  
Bunny nodded as Patty wrote down the order before going to the kitchen to tell the cook about Xander’s date. A T.V. mounted in the corner of the diner displayed a grainy video of the daily news. Bunny remembers always asking to watch the morning cartoons on that T.V. when they and Xander were kids. They always forced Xander to go on their shoulders to change the channel when Patty wasn’t looking. Bunny looked around the diner and reminisced about their childhood. They looked at the walls that were coated in faded paint and the pictures that hung on them. One of the pictures being a black and white photo of a young and bright eyed Patty standing in front of the newly opened diner with a smiling Ernie. Alongside the photo was various other photos from Ernie’s time at sea and from him and Patty’s wedding day. There was even a framed photo of a young Bunny and Xander sitting in a booth at the diner that they were both always embarrassed of but never had the heart to tell Patty and Ernie to take it down. Underneath the photos and vintage street signs was a dent in the wall that was made after Bunny and Xander thought it would be fun to try out their newly learned hockey skills with a frozen burger patty. Bunny smiled as they remembered how they and Xander were terrified to tell Patty and Ernie but after failing to hide it, Patty saw it and said how it added to the ambience of the diner. Ernie even offered to paint a border around it to make it look like an art installment but Xander was too embarrassed to allow it. Bunny continued to reminisce about their childhood diner adventures but their train of thought escaped from them when they saw a familiar face sitting alone in a booth across the diner. Bunny quickly looked down as they took a deep breath. After a moment of contemplation, they stood up and went over to the table.  
“So,” Bunny started as they leaned on the booth, “You think giant ninjas would win against space dinosaurs, huh?”  
Summer looked up from her notebook, surprised to see Bunny. She smiled, “Yeah, of course. They have the element of surprise.” Summer gestured to the seat across from her and Bunny set down their backpack and sat down.  
“But, c’mon. Space dinosaurs? They have the element of being badass. Plus I think that by the ninjas being giant, it cancels out their element of surprise.” said Bunny.  
Summer squinted her eyes, “Touché.”  
The two laughed before an awkward silence fell upon them. Summer looked up from fidgeting with her hands. The silence was lifted when Patty walked over holding a tray of food.  
“Chili cheese fries for you, my dear.” Patty said as she put down the mountain of grease in front of Summer, “and the usual strawberry milkshake, double decker burger, and fries extra crispy for little BunBun.”  
The two thanked Patty before she went back to complaining about the daily news to the cook.  
“So,” started Summer as she picked up a fork, “the usual, huh? Do you come here often?”  
Bunny dipped their fries in their milkshake, “Yeah, you can say that. Me and my friend Xander basically grew up here.” They shoved the strawberry soaked fries in their mouth, “Kinda became our home away from broken homes. Patty became our fairy godmother by default.”  
“I figured considering the whole little BunBun thing.”  
Bunny felt their cheeks grow as pink as their milkshake. Summer smiled, “I think it’s cute. If we’re being honest, I was completely intimidated by you the other day so little BunBun makes me feel a little better.”  
“Me? Intimidating?” Bunny said as they took a bite from their burger, “Yeah, I get that a lot. Helps ward off unwanted conversations. It also helps ward off unwanted questions from Professor Big Ears.”  
Summer laughed almost spitting out her mouthful of fries, “I thought I was the only one who noticed! That class is an absolute drag but his ears are entertaining at least.”  
Bunny looked at Summer’s notebook at the edge of the table, “Seems like you’re able to stay awake enough to take a bible of notes though. Now that takes talent.”  
“Taking notes helps me stay awake.” said Summer as she took another bite, “That or drawing but my creativity isn’t fully awake at that time of day yet. I see you drawing in class sometimes though. Do you like to draw too?”  
“I’m not an artist like you. You’re really really good if that space dinosaur and giant ninja drawing is any indication. I mostly doodle random stick figures and shapes. Sometimes I doodle Professor Big Ears in ridiculous costumes if I’m feeling creative.”  
Bunny went on to talk about all the ridiculous scenarios they’ve drawn their professor in. In return, Summer pulled out her sketchbook and showed Bunny her recent sketches that ranged from flowers to self portraits to sketches of hands. They flipped through the pages as Bunny stared in awe. Summer always felt wary of showing others her work but she felt an unfamiliar comfort in Bunny. Summer handed Bunny the book and as they continued to flip through it, Patty walked over with the checks. Bunny opened their backpack and started gathering all the loose dollar bills that littered their backpack. Summer pulled out her wallet, “I’ll pay for their meal too, please.” Bunny looked up at Summer handing Patty enough cash to pay for both meals.  
“You don’t have to. I can pay for myself.” Bunny said.  
“I invited you to sit at my booth so let me be a respectable booth host.”  
Bunny smiled as they handed back her sketchbook, “Well let me be a respectable booth guest and walk you home.”  
The two waved goodbye to Patty and left the diner. Bunny and Summer walked alongside the road as Summer asked questions about the town. Bunny tried their best to be a good tour guide, but they never really did much research on the history of the town. So instead they taught Summer about the wildlife that surrounded the town.  
“You sure know a lot about nature.” said Summer.  
“I spent a lot of time in the woods around here growing up.” Bunny explained, “I like to bring my camera and my ukulele out and just wander around out there.”  
“Ah, the modern day wilderness explorer.” smiled Summer, “You’ll have to take me out there one day. Coming from the city, I was never able to really be out in nature much. Plus I’d love to have some new muses to draw.”  
“It’s a deal.” agreed Bunny, “There’s plenty of flowers out there.”  
The two arrived at Summer’s house that had a freshly painted white picket fence. Bunny stared up at the two story home adorned in rustic vines that stretched across lattice fencing that covered the front face of the house.  
“Woah.”  
“My mom loves anything and everything extravagant.” Summer rolled her eyes, “Too much for my taste honestly. I prefer our smaller and more quaint house back in the city. The only upside is that I get me own little balcony to get away from her.” Summer said as she pointed to her room that faced the front lawn.  
“Pretty good upside.” replied Bunny.  
The two shared a laugh before Bunny thanked Summer for lunch. They said their goodbyes as Bunny turned around to walk back down the street but stopped themselves.  
“Hey,” said Bunny as they turned back towards the house, “I have a question.”  
“Shoot.” smiled Summer as she pulled out her house keys.  
“At the diner… when you told Patty you were going to pay for my meal… you said ‘their meal’ instead of ‘her meal.’ Why did you do that?”  
Summer felt her cheeks grow red, “Oh, I’m sorry.” said Summer quietly, “I don’t like to assume other’s pronouns so I usually refer to people as they and them until they clarify otherwise.” Summer looked down at the ground as she felt a wave of embarrassment fall over her, “I’m sorry. I should have asked. I can refer to you as she and her from now on if that’s what you prefer.”  
“No!” said Bunny eagerly, “I mean, no need to apologize.” They put their hands in their jacket as they took a deep breath, “I think that’s amazing. I just asked because they and them are my pronouns and it meant a lot to me that you addressed me that way even though you didn’t know. I never really had anyone do that.”  
Summer looked up to find Bunny looking at the ground and hiding a smile in the corner of their mouth. She smiled knowing that Bunny wasn’t used to having to explain themselves but she appreciated the comfort. Bunny looked up after a moment.  
“So, how do you identify?” they asked awkwardly. They never really had to ask anyone that question even though it was the question that they themselves wished other people asked more often.  
“She and her.” Summer replied as Bunny nodded. There was a brief moment of silence, “Also I never got to really introduce myself. I’m Summer.”  
“Bunny. Nice to meet you.” they smiled, “Anyway, thank you again. For everything. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”  
Bunny turned around and started down the street.  
“Looking forward to it.” said Summer as she stared at Bunny walk away. Bunny blushed and continued walking.  
______________________________________________________________________________

The sound of sizzling burger patties floated through the diner as the daily news played on the T.V. on the wall. Patty poured freshly grounded coffee beans into a filter before brewing the second of coffee for the day. She poured a cup of decaf for herself before turning around to face the counter.  
“Beatrice was her name?” she said as she took a sip.  
“Beth.” corrected Xander as he squeezed ketchup onto his burger, “Her name’s Beth.”  
“Beth. Beatrice. To each their own.” shrugged Patty.  
Xander smiled and rolled his eyes, “She’s really something, Patty. I think you’d like her. She’s a smartass but she’s a graceful smartass, you know? She actually calls me out on my bullshit which is worrying but refreshing. She even laughs at all my jokes even when I’m an asshat.”  
“Must be a tough girl if she could sit through your jokes.”  
“My jokes aren’t that bad! Right, Bunny?” Xander looked at the diner stool next to him where Bunny was making a face out of their leftover french fry bits, “Bunny?”  
Bunny snapped out of their fry trance, “What? Oh yeah, Xander’s jokes suck.”  
“That’s literally the opposite of what I just asked.” Xander said with a mouthful of burger.  
Patty laughed as she raised an eyebrow at Bunny who was still playing with their food, “What has you all spaced out? Xander, what has them all spaced out?”  
Xander shrugged as he continued to inhale his burger. A bell dinged behind Patty as two fresh burgers slid through the order window. Patty waved her hand and signaled the cook to bring the burgers out to the customers across the diner. The cook rolled his eyes as he grabbed the plates. Patty turned back to Bunny as she squinted her eyes and pursed her lips.  
“It’s that girl you are here with a few weeks back, isn’t it? The chili cheese fries girl.” Patty said as she leaned onto the counter. Bunny looked up with wide eyes. Xander slowly shoved fries into his mouth as his eyes shifted between Bunny and Patty.  
“Maybe…” Bunny said quietly.  
“I knew it!” exclaimed Patty as she threw her hands in the air almost causing Xander to choke on his fries.  
“Careful, Patty. You’ll break another hip.” said Xander as he picked up a napkin.  
Patty picked up a fry from Bunny’s plate and threw it at him, “So, you and Xander are in the same smitten sailboat, hm?”  
“I’m not smitten!” Bunny and Xander said simultaneously before looking at each other with guilty faces. They both knew that Patty has always been the one person who could see past their lies.  
“Tell me about her.” said Patty as she poured herself and Xander another cup of coffee.  
“Yeah. Spill it, Bayani.” agreed Xander as he poured sugar into his cup.  
Bunny sat up and pushed their plate of fry bits away, “There’s not much to spill. Her name’s Summer. She’s been helping me with our argumentative studies class over the last two weeks. That’s about it.”  
Patty and Xander slowly sipped their coffees as they continued to stare at Bunny. Bunny stared back and eventually gave a defeated sigh, “I’m taking her to the forest today so she can draw some flowers. She’s an artist. A really good one too. She has this drawing of herself that looks amazing and you guys have to see the face she makes when she’s concentrating because-” Bunny stopped themselves, “I mean… she’s pretty cool, I guess.”  
Patty smiled as she grabbed one of Bunny and Xander’s cheeks and pinched them as a lot of older ladies like her do, “Look at my two troublemakers having feelings! So grown up!”  
Bunny and Xander groaned and each grabbed a fry and threw them at Patty to be released from her grasp.  
“You nervous?” asked Xander, “ First date jitters?”  
Bunny looked down at the counter with their arms crossed, “Yes. No? Kind of. Is this even a date?” They picked up an empty straw wrapper and started tying it into knots, “It’s just… yes, she makes me nervous. But also calm? It’s hard to explain.”  
Xander nodded his head in understanding. Patty couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. She loved Xander and Bunny like they were her own kids. Seeing them grow up happy, especially after seeing what from what they’ve both been through, meant everything to her.  
“You’ll be great, sweetheart.” she reassured, “If Xander can get a second date with Beatrice, then you can get Summer.”  
“Why can you remember Summer but not Beth?” retorted Xander, “But yeah, totally. I’m just an asshat that found another asshat that compliments me.” he spun his stool towards Bunny, “You’ll be great. Just don’t be all brooding Bunny. That Bunny scares people. Including me sometimes. I’ll send some of my Quinn charm over to you.”  
“No, please keep it. No need to spread the Quinn charm like a disease.” smiled Bunny, “Thank you guys though. I feel a bit better.”  
Bunny stood up and picked their backpack off the ground. After one last cheek pinch from Patty and a secret handshake from Xander, Bunny took a deep breath and left to go to Summer’s.  
______________________________________________________________________________

The tune of a ukulele drifted in and out of the trees as a breeze swept across the forest. Everything was silent aside form the strumming and the occasional coo from nearby birds. Bunny and Summer walked along the dirt path as the afternoon sun peeked through the gaps between the branches. Pebbles and colored leaves crunched after each step they took. Bunny continued to play a new song as they traveled down the path as Summer marveled at the towering trees they walked under.  
“It’s beautiful out here.” said Summer as she stared up in wonder, “I could spend hours just drawing all the trees around here.”  
Bunny smiled as they looked up at the familiar greenery, “I love this place. Aside from Ernie’s, I spent the other half of my childhood here.”  
The two continued on until they hit a clearing. Bunny put their ukulele in their backpack before stepping behind Summer and covering her eyes with their hands. Summer smiled as she put her hands in front of her as Bunny guided her out of the tree line. Once they both got to the middle of clearing, Bunny lifted their hands. Summer opened her eyes and gave out a small gasp as she looked at the sea of flowers that surrounded them. The sunlight illuminated the flowers causing them to look like swirls of watercolor that swayed with the afternoon breeze. After walking around the whole perimeter of the clearing, the two laid a blanket down in the middle and sat down to bask in the warm sunlight. Bunny would occasionally stand up to take pictures of a flower or a bird that happened to have landed nearby. Meanwhile, Summer sat with her sketchbook in hand and drew page after page of the scenery that surrounded them. After attempting to take a photo of a finch that landed near their blanket, Bunny walked back and sighed as they sat down.  
“Crouching tiger technique didn’t work this time around?” asked Summer as she smiled down at her sketchbook.  
“Hey, the crouching tiger never fails me!” said Bunny as they ripped up the blurry polaroid, “The breeze scared it… and by breeze I meant my sneeze. The true danger in this forest is the amount of pollen.”  
Summer laughed as she continued to sketch the nearby oak tree, a laser focus in her eye. Bunny grabbed a canteen out of their backpack and took a sip of water. After offering Summer the canteen, they took out a new pack of polaroid film and refilled their camera.  
“Cool camera, by the way.” said Summer as she began shading her drawing, “Looks like it’s been through an adventure or two.”  
“It was my dad’s.” Bunny smiled as they ripped open the fresh pack of film, “He used to go on a lot of hikes with my mom. They loved the outdoors.”  
Summer looked up at Bunny with sympathetic eyes before looking back down at her finished drawing. She flipped through her sketchbook and skimmed through all the filled up pages until she reached the last empty page she had. She looked around the clearing and at sun that was slowly making its way downwards. She spun her pencil around in her hand as she thought of what her final drawing should be before it would be too dark to see the small details of her muse. She skimmed the clearing for any spark of inspiration. It wasn’t until she looked right next to her that she felt it.  
“Hey,” Summer said softly, “Do you mind facing me?”  
Bunny looked up from fiddling with their camera, “Me?”  
“Yes, you.” smiled Summer.  
Bunny shifted their position on the blanket until they were facing Summer with their legs crossed. Summer gave a thumbs up as she sharpened her pencil and began to draw. Bunny continued to fiddle with their camera before raising it up to their eye. They framed Summer into the shot and took a picture as she drew. Summer blushed as the polaroid came out of the camera. Bunny grabbed it and shook it before putting it in their backpack with the rest of the day’s photos. Bunny turned back and tried their best to sit still. A butterfly flew nearby and landed on the tip of Summer’s sketchbook. She stopped sketching and held the butterfly on her finger before it flew away with the fall breeze. Bunny couldn’t help but stare at Summer as she continued to draw. They stared at the way her sandy blonde hair flowed down her shoulder. The way her brown eyes glistened in the sunlight every time she looked up. Bunny blushed as Summer smiled whenever she caught them staring, but they couldn’t help it. They felt a sense of warmth that radiated from her presence. A warmth that they haven’t felt in a long time. 

Summer finished her drawing just as the sun descended behind the tree line. She closed the completed sketchbook with pride. The sky around them started to fade into a dark blue as Bunny reached into their backpack and took out a lantern. They turned it on to illuminate the small area around them both. The forest around them grew silent as the breeze subsided and the only sound was the occasional chirp of distant crickets. After sharing a granola bar and a quick nature lesson from Bunny, the two laid beside one another as the stars began to reveal themselves in the night sky.  
“I’ve never seen so many stars before,” said Summer, “There was always too many lights in the city to see them.”  
“I love the stars,” Bunny replied, “There’s something comforting about them always being there even though you can’t always see them.”  
Summer smiled before pointing out all the different constellations in the sky to Bunny. She never had the opportunity to see all the stars while living in the city but she always enjoyed studying them. Summer went from constellation to constellation as Bunny listened in amazement. After reaching the last constellation, the lantern died out. Bunny sat up and tried to make it work but it refused.  
“It’s okay,” said Summer putting her hand on Bunny’s shoulder, “The moon is all the light we need.”  
Bunny appreciated the comfort as they both laid back down on the blanket. A silence fell upon them as they looked up at the dark blue sky. The distant lights from a passing plane flickered overhead. Grass swayed around the blanket as the crisp air fell gently across the clearing. Bunny moved their arm from their stomach to their side and felt the warmth of Summer’s arm next to theirs. Bunny’s heart began to race as their stomach began to tie into knots, a feeling they weren’t used to. They took a deep breath and exhaled, allowing the feelings of anxiety to slowly fall out of them after each breathe they released. Slowly, Bunny’s hand gently made its way to Summer’s. After a moment of hesitation, they found their fingers intertwined with hers. Bunny felt their heart flutter after each breath they took as Summer held their hand back. Summer smiled to herself as she felt the warmth of Bunny’s hand against hers. There was an unbroken silence between them that allowed a sense of presence. Bunny caressed Summer’s hand with their thumb as they laid in a comfortable silence, the stars glistening back at them.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Xander kneeled down on the ground and started picking up the googly eyes that littered the aisle of the craft store. Bunny stood with their arms crossed as they looked down at the floor that was staring back at them.  
“I told you to watch where you were going.”  
“Shut up and help me.” said Xander as he scooped up a handful of eyes, “Who the fuck would need an 1,000 pack of googly eyes?”  
Bunny groaned as they kneeled down to help. After picking up most of the eyes, the two stood up and kicked the rest off to the side. Xander dusted off his shirt as he raised his middle finger to the security camera that overlooked the aisle.  
“What was that for?” asked Bunny as they flicked a googly eye off their shoulder.  
“For any security guard that’s watching and laughing.”  
Xander began walking down the aisle as Bunny quickly turned around towards the security camera, stuck their tongue out, and flipped off the camera themselves for good measure. The two continued to wander around the store occasionally finding a random item to mess with each other with. After almost breaking various flower pots, they turned the corner and wandered into the aisle of frames.  
“These frame companies need to find more racially diverse models for their example photos.”  
“Amen to that, brother.” replied Bunny.  
“So,” started Xander as he picked up a frame, “You said you got her grounded? She still gets grounded?”  
Bunny sighed while they skimmed the shelves of frames, “We came home late when I took her to the forest and her mom got all worked up about it. Her mom’s a total narc. Not to mention that she doesn’t even validate her own daughter’s identity or life goals or interests. Like I mean, I know what that’s like which is why it’s so shitty, you know? My uncle’s a piece of shit but at least he stopped giving a shit about me but her mom always thinks she knows what’s best for her which is completely idiotic.”  
“Woah, woah, woah. Slow down, tiger.” said Xander as he grabbed Bunny’s shoulders, “It’ll be alright. Never seen you get this worked up about something.”  
“She just deserves better, you know?”  
“Who knew that BunBun Bayani had the capacity for all these feelings?” joked Xander, “But really, she knows she can rely on you to be there for her. I’ve experienced firsthand how annoying you are, but also how reliable you are too.” Xander picked out a frame from the top shelf, “But if she takes advantage of you, I will kick some ass.”  
Bunny smiled, “Thanks, Quinn.”  
Xander dusted off the frame and the two walked down the aisles to find what Bunny came to buy. After buying what they needed and basically getting physically kicked out the store for staying past closing time, Xander and Bunny stepped outside and said their goodbyes.  
“Sorry I can’t go to Beth’s birthday party.” said Bunny as they put the craft store bag into their backpack.  
“Don’t worry about it.” Xander said as he took out his car keys, “Want a ride? Look like it’s gonna rain.”  
“Bunny shook their head, “I’ll skate. It’s still a nice night out. See you later. Don’t do any dumb shit.” said Bunny as they started to skate off on their skateboard.  
“Quinn charm!” yelled Xander as Bunny skated away. Bunny laughed and rolled their eyes as they started their way across town.  
______________________________________________________________________________

Dark clouds covered the night sky as the cold air bit at Bunny’s nose. They skated down the dimly lit street until they reached the only house on the block with a white picket fence. All the lights inside the house were shut off except for the one room with a balcony. Bunny picked up their board and hopped over the fence. They slowly made their way across the finely kept lawn as they looked up at the house. Once they were directly under the balcony, they stuck their skateboard inside of the bush that lined the perimeter of the house. They tightened the straps on their backpack and looked up at the lattice fencing that stretched across the face of the house. After analyzing the best route to take that will result in the least possible amount of splinters and vine scratches, they began their ascent. Once chest level with the balcony, Bunny grabbed hold of the balcony railing, flung their body forward, and climbed over. They brushed themselves off, surprised that they were relatively unscathed. They looked up to the double doors that opened to the balcony. The curtains were drawn but they could see Summer’s silhouette laying on her bed reading a book. Bunny suddenly felt a wave of panic but before they could back out, they found themselves knocking on the balcony door.  
Summer hesitated for a moment before getting up and opening the door. She breathed a sigh of relief after finding Bunny waiting for her.  
“Hey, Rapunzel. Want some company in this lonely tower?” said Bunny, hoping that Summer wouldn’t see past their “totally not nervous” facade.  
“You scared me half to death!” Summer laughed, “And yes. I would actually.”  
She gestured for Bunny to come in. Bunny walked into the room as Summer closed the balcony doors.  
“So what brings you to the neighborhood at 2:36 a.m.?” asked Summer as she sat on her bed.  
“Oh, you know… just going for a casual stroll around the town. Chasing after werewolves, hunting the mystical goblin people. The Friday night usual.” shrugged Bunny.  
“Sounds like you have a busy night. I’m happy you found the time to stop by on your mystical lunch break.”  
“It’s the least I could do after getting you grounded. I’m sorry again about that.”  
“Don’t even worry about it.” said Summer, “I’ve actually been able to clean and redecorate my room which is something I’ve been procrastinating on.”  
“You? Procrastinating? That’s a first.”  
Bunny laughed as Summer stuck out her tongue. Bunny looked around the neatly kept room. Christmas lights lined the perimeter of the ceiling. Various framed drawings sat upon a white wooden desk. Necklaces hung from a hook that looked like an octopus tentacle. Next to the door was a shelf unit that held books and a record player. A stack of dusty postcards sat on top of the dresser next to an array of paintbrushes and colored pencils. Bunny smiled knowing that Summer’s room was a personified version of her.  
“So what really brings you into my lone tower, goblin hunter?”  
Bunny took off their backpack and kneeled on the ground to rummage through it. After a moment of digging through fossilized layers of granola bar wrappers and loose change, they pulled out a gift mediocrely wrapped in yesterday’s newspaper. Bunny felt their cheeks grow red as they handed it to Summer.  
“I wanted to give you this.” said Bunny as they put their hands in their pockets, “Sorry about the shit wrapping. I didn’t have wrapping paper so I went to Ernie’s and Patty gave me the option of burger wrappers or the comics section of the newspaper. I figured Calvin and Hobbes were more appealing than grease stains.”  
Summer laughed as she looked down at the present. After reading some of the comic strips and groaning at the bad punchlines, she ripped it open to reveal a leather bound sketchbook. Summer let out a small gasp as her mouth fell open. She turned the sketchbook over to find the Cassiopeia constellation imprinted into the leather cover.  
“I figured that you needed a new one and I know how Cassiopeia is your favorite constellation.”  
Summer looked up at Bunny as she held the sketchbook to her chest, “This means so much to me, you have no idea. Thank you.”  
Bunny gave a soft smile and nodded their head.  
“I should get going,” they said, “Those goblins are probably wreaking havoc all around town.”  
Summer opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the roar of thunder outside. The two walked over to the balcony door and saw that the sky gave out and began pouring rain.  
“Yeah, you’re not leaving.” said Summer looking out to the downpour, “I’m not letting you skate home in this rain. I’m sure the goblins will retreat back into their goblin caves and will wait for you to hunt them another night.”  
Summer turned to Bunny and told them to make themselves at home, “I’ll go make some drinks to warm us up.”  
Summer left for the kitchen as Bunny took off their jacket and sat at the edge of Summer’s bed. They looked around the room as they fidgeted with their hands. The feeling Bunny dreaded began invading their space... the butterflies, the nervousness, the racing heart. Bunny took a deep breath just as Summer walked back into the room with two mugs.  
“You seem more of a hot chocolate drinker than a tea drinker.” said Summer as she handed Bunny a mug.  
“An artist with intuition,” smiled Bunny, “By the lack of delicious whipped cream in your mug, I’m assuming you’re a tea drinker.”  
“A rebel with observance.” said Summer before taking a sip from her mug, “Lemon ginger.”  
“Gross.” Bunny said sticking their tongue out in disgust. They took a sip from their mug before wincing in pain, “Fuck.”  
“It’s called hot chocolate from a reason, Bun.”  
Bunny raised their eyebrow at Summer as they stuck their tongue out again which showed to be redder than usual. Summer laughed as she stood up and walked to her record player. She began flipping through her impressive stack of vinyls as Bunny continued to carefully sip their hot chocolate.  
“Your room is really nice.” Bunny said before blushing at how bad they are at small talk.  
“Thanks,” Summer replied without turning around, “My room is the only place I can display my sense of self without my mom on my back about it.”  
Bunny smiled while looking up at the rainbow flag that was pinned on the wall across from the bed, “Your mom isn’t really your favorite person, huh?”  
“Yeah. We’ve never really been able to see eye to eye on anything. I’m much closer to my dad but I haven’t seen him since the divorce.”  
Summer held up a record and carefully slipped it out of its sleeve before putting it on the turntable and gently placing the needle in place, “I love this album. This one is my favorite song. It’s my favorite one to slow dance with myself to.”  
“I’m always too self conscious to dance, even by myself.” laughed Bunny.  
Summer stood up with one hand behind her back while the other was offered to Bunny. Bunny raised an eyebrow while a smile grew at the corner of their mouth.  
“Really?” they chuckled as they looked up at Summer.  
“May I have this dance?” said Summer in a polite tone as she continued to offer her hand.  
After a moment’s hesitation, Bunny took hold of Summer’s hand. Summer guided Bunny’s hands down to her waist before putting her arms around their neck. They both began to sway along to the music as rain pelted onto the bedroom window. Bunny felt their heart racing as they looked up to see Summer’s eyes glistening from the christmas lights that surrounded them. Their eyes met as Bunny managed to catch their breath.  
“See… dancing isn’t so bad, right?” said Summer softly.  
They two continued to dance, getting closer to each other which each sway. Summer touched her forehead to Bunny’s. Bunny felt their walls crumbling under her gaze.They smiled as they felt Summer’s heartbeat match theirs. Slowly, Bunny tilted their head as their eyes shifted from Summer’s eyes down to her lips. Summer smiled and followed suit. A flash of lightning illuminated the room as their lips touched. They embraced each other as the world around them froze. They kissed as if they were all each other have been craving. After pulling away, the two looked at each other and smiled.  
“So, how’s that burnt tongue treating you?” asked Summer as she let go of Bunny’s hand to move the needle on the record player.  
“You know, it feels much better now that you’ve asked. Must be magic.” smiled Bunny as they sat back down on the bed. Summer laughed as they began flipping through the vinyl stack once more. Bunny laid down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling as they welcomed the butterflies that caused their heart to race with love.

______________________________________________________________________________

“Oh god. It looks stupid with this shirt, doesn’t it?” said Bunny while looking at their bowtie in the passenger seat mirror.  
“It looks fine.” said Xander fixing a button on Bunny’s shirt.  
“Want me to redo it?” asked Beth from the backseat.  
“No, the bowtie looks great. Thanks again for doing it since Xander continues to prove his uselessness to me.” said Bunny as Xander rolled his eyes, “Does it match the shirt though? Bowtie too red? Shirt too blue?”  
“Teal and red always go together, nerd.” said Xander.  
“That’s navy. Not teal, honey.” Beth said as she put her hand on Xander’s shoulder.  
“She’s the beauty and the brains of the relationship, I see.”  
“Told you I got myself a winner.” said Xander as he looked back at Beth. Her curly hair and perfect brown skin glowing in the sunlight. Beth smiled and raised an eyebrow while Xander stared at her.  
“Okay, Romeo.” said Bunny, “Put the tongue away and do a final check. I gotta go!”  
“Hair good. Shirt crisp. Bowtie perfect. Teeth clean. Attitude lacking. Everything is in order! Now go get her, tiger.”  
Xander unlocked the car door as Bunny gave him a worried look. Bunny thanked Xander and Beth as they gave a thumbs up and a cheesy smile before driving away. Bunny turned around and stared up at the house before opening the white picket fence. They cleared their throat as they rang the doorbell with a shaky hand. After what felt like hours, the door opened and Bunny felt themselves freeze as they stared at Summer standing in the doorway wearing a flowy mint colored dress. Summer smiled as Bunny finally remembered how to breathe.  
“Summer, sweetheart! Who’s at the door? It’s almost time for dinner!” a voice echoed from within in the house.  
“Mom!” Summer replied, “There’s someone I want you to meet.”  
Summer held out her hand and Bunny intertwined their fingers into hers as they entered the house together.


End file.
